Homelessness in Hawaii

The major purpose of the study is to educate the community and provide awareness about homelessness as it ultimately has the potential to affect anyone. The study that our group would like to conduct is to examine the homeless population and the issues that surround it. As we examine the causes of homeless the possibility of preventing homelessness increases. As more is being done to get people off of the street, what is being done to prevent people from becoming homeless? Our group’s efforts are to examine these issues and analyze the results through conducting a survey. Introduction

Homelessness has the potential to affect everyone and anyone. The economy continues to change and unfortunately the changes are not always for the best of individuals. These changes have the power to determine people’s future for the good and the bad. It seems as though there are several programs, grants, and transitional housing available to assist those who are already homeless. As we continue to examine the homeless epidemic, it is evident that researching homeless prevention would be beneficial as it could potentially slow down the future increasing number of homeless individuals. Method

A Survey was given to 50 homeless adults, 25 male and 25 female. Among the 50 adults 16 were categorized as young adults, 18 middle aged adults, and 16 were determined elderly. The questions on the survey were determined to identify: age group, gender, last place of residence, current living status, length of homelessness, education, source of income, and substance issue. Of the 50 surveyed, the last places of residence were as follows; 6 were in the Windward area, 35 were on the West side, 8 in Central Oahu, and 2 were living on the South end of the island. The current living status of the 50 surveyed were 27 living in the streets, 11 in emergency shelters, and 12 in some form of transitional housing. The length of homelessness among the 50 were as follows: 13 were homeless for 1 to 6 months, 13 were homeless for 6 to 12 months, 17 were homeless for 1- 3 years, and 7 were homeless for more than 3 years. Education, 10 reported having less than a high school education, 15 reported having a high school education, 23 had earned a G.E.D., and 2 had some college education. Source of income; 7 reported having no income, 12 had income from employment, and 31 reported receiving some form of government financial assistance. Substance abuse issues; 13 reported having no issues/ abstinence, 14 reported using some form of substance without impairment, 14 reported abusing some form of substance, and 9 reported a dependence on some form of substance. The survey was conducted on the island of Oahu in the four main district areas. The areas surveyed were on the Windward, West, Central, and South parts of the island. Of the 50 surveys, 13 were done on the Windward side, 13 West side, 12 Central, and 12 on the South side. The Windward and West side both were considered to be more populated with homeless adults therefore were given an additional survey each. The surveys were issued by four of the learning team members who each surveyed a specific district. The learning team members conducted their surveys in the areas which were believed to be most heavily populated with homeless adults. On the Windward side the Waimanalo Beach Park was used as the surveyed area, Makaha on the West side, Blaisdell Park for Central Oahu, and Ala Moana Beach Park on the South side.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...﻿Homelessness
SOCI 200-DO7
When it was voiced that instead of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet with an expensive perfume, it would be better if it was sold and the proceeds given to the poor, Jesus made this statement, “For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good” (Mark 14:7 NKJV). In context, it was not that Jesus was being insensitive to the needs of the poor; He promoted helping and caring for the less fortunate (Matthew 25:31-46). This statement is about a reality of the society. No matter how much we try, and what programs we instill, we will always have the poor among us.
One of the urgent needs of the poor is the need for shelter. Homelessness is a real and frightening reality. According to a 2010 report done by the Us Department and Urban Development (HUD), 407,966 individuals were homeless in shelters, transitional housing programs, or on the streets (this number does not include persons in family households). 109,812 individuals were chronically homeless, a 1% decrease from the previous year. This same report showed that just within a one year period, 1,593,150 individuals experienced homelessness. .
The problem of homelessness is a very challenging area of our society to fully address. Reason being there are so many variables that can cause one to become homeless: loss of income, lack of adequate income, high housing and rent cost, death, illness, natural disasters,...

...Causes of Homelessness in America
Homelessness is an ongoing problem for our society. Every day we come to terms with the effects of it, but what about the causes? By definition, a person who is homeless lives in public. The lack and destruction of federal housing programs and increasing rents forced those who are homeless to do in public what everyone prefers to do in private.
According to the website, National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, the Low Income Housing Information Service estimates that “there are twice as many low-income families searching for housing as there are units available”, many of which are waiting on Section 8 housing, a list that could take up to six years or more. The H.U.D Report, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, states that the lack of affordable housing is so tight that officials in the twenty-six cities surveyed estimate that low-income households spend almost half their income on rent. The rates for vacancies in this country run between two percent and about ten percent, and the rates of homelessness run under one percent. So the interesting question is why vacant housing units don’t get matched with those of low income households?
“After a protracted last-minute budget fight with Congress in December, President Clinton signed legislation containing $1.7 billion in funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the federal...

...How to improve Homelessness
Introduction
Homelessness is not new to our nation, and it has greatly increased over the past ten years. (Baum, 1-4) For growing numbers of people, work provides little, if any, protection against homelessness. Low national un-employment levels do not mean that all working people are well-off. (Baum, 21-24)
What is homelessness? According to the definition stated by Stewart B. McKinney,
for purposes of the 1987 McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, "a homeless person (homelessness) is one who lacks a fixed permanent nighttime residence, or whose nighttime residence is a temporary shelter, welfare hotel, or any public or private place not designed as sleeping accommodations for human beings." (Baum, 8) A rather deceptive definition when one considers the fact that homelessness is not a natural state, but one created and maintained by political agendas.
Our government is not doing all that it can to combat our nation's homelessness.
In 1987, the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act was put into law. (Burger, 68-83) However, our government has moved away from the need to address the causes of homelessness. Instead our government has focused on the individual responsibility of those who become homeless, blaming their misfortune as their own fault. (Baum, 5-9) It is this belief that has helped to increase the homelessness of...

...other debt; it’s an endless cycle. People encounter a homeless person every day without taking a second to think about or acknowledge them. Sometimes you get the odd person who will just turn their head in disgust and in some cases give them change. In my personal experience I have been with my friends when they either put them down or sometimes yell at them directly. The two most common sayings I have heard is “Get a job you bum”, “Go to school you bum”. People fail to look at the homeless as an oppressing issue rather they often view it as a weakness. Homelessness effects public safety, cost of living, tourism and the local government. In saying all that I do not have any sympathy for the homeless that are lazy or addicted to any sort substance.
The term homeless & homelessness didn’t become common until after the recession. (Lee, Jones, Lewis.1990.pg 547). Believed to be a debate when it comes to what is the cause of homelessness ,”Research now suggests that the situation may be more accurately portrayed because of many factors including the housing market dynamics, housing and welfare policy, economic restructuring of the labour market and physical disabilities.(Shlay,Rossi.1992.pg.130)
The public fails to properly acknowledge the definition of a “homeless” person. I believe the term can be stretched to fit more than those who do not have a place to reside. Our main interpretation of the homeless comes from what we see in the...

...﻿
Homelessness
Name
GEN 499 General Education Capstone
Instructor
September 8, 2012
HomelessnessHomelessness is an epidemic that is growing at a rapid pace. Throughout history, homelessness has been a significantly issue but it is now becoming more common. Currently, many people of all ages are experiencing homelessness as the poverty rate is increasing significantly. This paper will describe this issue while focusing on the root causes of homelessness. It will include a literature review of three scholarly sources analyzing the validity of the author’s argument and/or biases. It will describe how academic understanding can influence the social elements and institutions of both local and global communities. I will include a multimedia component in the form of a video that describes homelessness. I will evaluate the relationship to academic knowledge and homelessness and to conclude, it will assess how the principles of active citizenship could impact this issue during the next five to ten years. Homelessness is a devastating social concern that mainly stems from poverty however there are many other contributing factors that can force people onto the streets, which can ultimately lead to chronic homelessness.
Every day homeless people roam the streets while many of us pass by them as if they do not exist....

...﻿Holly Hicks
November 29, 2014
English 1102
Mr. Miles
Homelessness In The Community
Today it is impossible to keep count of the homeless men and women in our city. As we commute through our neighborhoods we see a lot of men and women sleeping on our street corners and highway by passes. As citizens and human beings we must understand that homelessness is a complex issue. Many people are homeless because of economic factors, family relationships, and mental illness.
While some people do not have a choice in becoming homeless, there are individuals who make bad choices and even refuse help that is available to them. Many people in the society today feel guilty when approached by any homeless man or woman. Many of the homeless men and women have family and children. But they have chosen to take another route of life. We as people are quick to pass judgment on men and women for being homeless. When we don’t know what events took place in that person life to force them to become homeless.
Statistics show people living in poverty are most at risk of becoming homeless. Economically they are at a higher risk of losing what little they already have. The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly over the past decade. There are approximately 40% of people who are homeless. In rural areas the largest groups of homeless people are families, single mothers, and children. In a 1998 survey of 30 cities,” it was found that...

...Michelle Miss. Martin
April 29, 2013
Nationwide
The United States is a rich country it should not have high percentages of homelessness. People from many other parts of the world come to the United States to live. How do citizens end up homeless? Before the deflation California, Hawaii, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington State had the highest rates of homelessness (Homelessness 25). “Do you have a quarter?” Every time I drive up and down in Ventura I see “Quarter Bob,” a homeless man in Ventura. He is one of the nicest homeless persons you will ever come across. Bob is either walking from the Westside back to the east or seen on Victoria Ave standing in front of Vons or CVS, where he asks whoever crosses his path for a quarter. Now you know how he got his nickname. Bob has been homeless for about five years. I still do not know the reason why he is homeless because I can barely understand him when he speaks due to the fact that he has no teeth. Homelessness is a serious problem because it mostly has to do with poverty, domestic violence, abuse of alcohol or drugs, unemployment, and shortage of affordable housing. Homeless people like Bob ask pedestrians for spare change, and sleep in public places. The real cause of homelessness is that many of them are disabled, veterans with post-traumatic-syndrome-disuse, and drug or alcohol abusers.
Being disabled can make it difficult to work to...

...﻿
Homelessness
Dewayne Henderson
BSHS/465
July 21, 2014
Tanisha Laidler
Homelessness
Introduction
Human service workers help people who are homeless to meet basic needs. Human service workers may refer clients to a variety of providers, such as temporary or permanent housing facilities, organizations that serve meals, and job centers that can assist the client in learning new skills or finding jobs. Some clients can need help finding treatment to address and underlying cause of homelessness.
Working closely with the client, human service workers identify problems and create a plan for service to help the client solve these problems. The process may include a multitude of helping techniques by evaluating the client support system, environment, and values are tailored to each individual’s needs.
Human service workers cannot force help on someone who does not want it, and human service workers cannot take over a client’s life. Instead human service professionals tried to help every client make good decisions, find resources to overcome problems, and inspire the client to make improvements. The goal of a human service professional when helping the homeless population is to provide every resource possible to help the client not only find housing, but teach the client the skills he or she need to meet his or her basic needs.
Affordable housing and poverty
A lack of affordable housing and the limited scale of housing assistance...